Qualcomm asserts eight-core mobile processors are 'dumb'

Qualcomm has joined the likes of Nokia and Intel in raining on the proverbial multi-core processor parade. During a recent chat with Taiwan media, Qualcomm senior vice president Anand Chandrasekher said eight-core processors like the new chips recently announced are flat out “dumb.”

The executive suggested that adding more cores was like trying to take eight lawnmower engines, putting them together and claiming you have an eight cylinder Ferrari engine. It just doesn’t make sense, he quipped.

Instead, Chandrasekher said his company focuses on giving consumers a good experience which requires a good modem, long battery life and an affordable price point (in that order). Adding more cores into the equation is like throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks, he concluded.

The remarks come just days after – and in response to – an announcement from rival MediaTek that they have developed a true octa-core ARM processor. You may recall that Samsung also has an octa-core processor known as the Exynos 5 Octa. That chip, however, isn’t a true eight-core setup as it uses ARM’s big.LITTLE configuration in which only four cores are ever active at any given time.

MediaTek insists their octa-core processor, scheduled to arrive during the fourth quarter of this year, enables enhanced multi-tasking capabilities that will greatly improve the experience of users’ applications. The company also says the configuration will help reduce the chip’s overall power consumption which could go a long way in proving battery life.